Monday, September 12, 2011

Elkhart Central Preview

3 Interesting Facts- We have never played Elkhart Central before (at least since I started coaching)- This will be the 2nd district ranked opponent that we have played this season (Concord was the other).- Elkhart Central has 2 positions on their team who remain undefeated this year, much like our team had last year.

Elkhart Central Details: The Blazers are ranked 6th in the district, this year, and begun the year ranked 21st in the state. A 3-2 loss to St. Joseph's knocked them out of the state rankings, much like what happened to us and Columbia City last year. They only have that 1 loss on the season.

Bethany Christian Details: We come into this match having won 4 straight matches, the last 2 have been by 3-2 scores. We are continuing to get better, and continue to shuffle things around a bit.

Outlook: While this will be one of our most supreme tests of the season, I expect to be competitive at several positions. Nathan Brendle should have a great matchup at #1 singles, and Blake Shetler will face his stiffest competition of the year at #2 singles. We are planning to revamp our doubles a bit for the match tomorrow, so we'll see what a new look #2 doubles can do against the Blazers team. Ike will also face a great test, as Blake Brouwer defeated Josh Garfein (one of the best #3's we've seen all year) in three sets. And I believe that Central's #1 doubles must be one of the best around, as their closest match that I've seen reported this year is 6-2, 6-4 (!)

I'm excited to play this match because I believe you truly get better when you throw your best effort at the best opponents. Besides that, we've got the ability to make the match interesting at several different positions. And it's senior night, which I'll be posting more on our two seniors tomorrow! But like I said, I'm looking forward to it!